Your speech about achieving your dreams and working for it. Has helped me, I was kinda putting off my private pilot test prep book, but your speech was, inspirational. Thank you.
I am glad to have tumbled onto this video by accident. I was there in june of 1982. Four of us flew to Walkers Cay in a cessna 172 with a guy working on building up his flight hours. The customs was open back then and we enjoyed an awesome day of snorkling and hanging out on the pristine beach. Bumpy runway as I recall.
I knew someone who went to Walker's Cay back in 2014 and after his plane's battery died, he almost died of starvation and dehydration before being rescued. Needless to say, the trip was not planned out very well. Good learning experience for everyone else though.
Seriously??? Wow. That's a hell of a story. It was so freaking busy while we were there, and one of the planes had a dead battery! Weird, because I haven't seen a pilot with a dead battery anywhere on mainland...... perhaps.... the Bermuda Triangle.
Friendly Skies Film The battery died because he drained it completely trying but failing to start the engine. Something was wrong with the starter. The only supplies they had were a couple days of food, alcohol, and a couple of flares, which they later used to start a camp fire. Again, their Aeronautical Decision Making in this scenario was next to none, but their mistakes will hopefully help others, and nobody died, so in the end it's all good.
Wow, that's kind of stuff people write books about, though. There are a couple boats on the island, and the next island over can't be more than a couple miles. I would have went for it, but who knows, maybe I wouldn't have made it.
I too was hoping to see the Island (and the 3 - 4 buildings it looked like it had, from the air). Hurray, nice landing Jeremy, and the runway looked clear of debris and safe enough to land on! I Like your enthusiasm Nick, reminds me of when I graduated college a few years back, nervous about the future but full of dreams! Thumbs Up Men!
You wish is my command in the next installment. I was worried about doing it in one episode because, believe it or not, I've been yelled at for including music, when "this is a flying channel, not a music channel," so I figured I'd ask. Ironically, I seem to have upset people more by NOT including it!! Ugh, the internet is an enigma... Thanks so much for the support, and for you other comment calling for donations. They really make it worth all the stress. I think it's about 20% editing, 30% setting up the cameras, and 50% putting up with all the nastiness the internet has to offer. Thanks so much for appreciating my work :) As the channel grows, the number of people I can make happy all at the same time decreases, so it's always good to know that I've made someone's day, and they've made mine in return.
"Ooh, there's a plane. We're not alone!! **Hops out to find some smugglers splitting their load. Runs *back* to plane and does NOT bother with pre-flight checklist**
Walker's kay, back in its day was booming. I had flown charters at 600. A head, under a 135. Probably the most interesting air strip I ever landed on. You could see planes sunk around the island. It's hard to believe it's vacant now.
This brought back SO many memories of this place. I was first introduced to Walker's by my late but great friend George Thomas, who had me fly out on a Walker International's Twin Otter to repair his Carolina built (Sunny Briggs) day boat "Shotgun" (originally owned by Peter Pulitzer) while he was there fishing. It was the first of many visits, some on a boat and others on aircraft. Once I came in aboard a 'fat' Beech Baron with an attorney who had his boat there to repair his genset and it had just rained. Nearly didn't stop in time (phew). I was on and off in less than an hour because all that was wrong with the genset was a loose ground wire. The coral heads SE of the island were INCREDIBLE. Another thing was going to Rosie's Place on Grand Cay. These cats ran that boat full speed AT NIGHT between the two islands, but you didn't care coming back because you were usually hammered :p I hope Carl Allen keeps it the kind of place I remember.
I visited Walker's in maybe January of 1987, on a boat, for a day. I spent it hanging out in the pool - there was a waterfall feature where you could get behind it and just chill in a little water fort. At the time it was a bustling island, full of people.
I flew to Walkers Cay in 1999, we had to check in at customs, went on a shark dive and flew to Freeport that night. Great trip and plenty of folks on the island back then .
We were at Walker's many times for the "Bertram-Hatteras Shootouts," which you show in 2-3 still photos of the competing boats parading in and out of Walker's harbor. We fished all of the major tournaments in the Bahamas aboard our new '46 Bertram, the Kirsten Ann, and Walker's was the nicest destination at the time.
Chalks used to fly there. I stopped there a couple times by sailboat too. There used to be a tv sport fishing show called the Walker Cay Chronicles. There was an operation at the end of the runway to capture and breed fish for aquariums. Cool place back in the day.
The island was owned by Robert Abplanalp. He was a good friend of my grandfather's. On March 29, 1975 my grandfather was taking off in his plane from the airstrip there and crashed
Fascinating. Thanks for sharing. It's such a small world. If there's more to the story, or any other thoughts from your grandfather that you would like to share, feel free to email me. Friendlyskiesfilm@gmail.com
Darn it guys, you make me feel that my life is so boring and grey :-). Joking aside, as always, great video. Interesting conversation and for my untrained eye, great flying! Thanks!
I went to Walker's Cay before the Hurricane that destroyed the island and it was lush and beautiful. The hotel was as good as any Holiday Inn. We flew in via Chalk's Airline which was a De Havilland Seaplane. Our reason for going there was that they had a Shark"Rodeo" as they called it. The people were wonderful. Funny, I never once heard it called Walker's "Key" as the narrator pronounced it. Not one person from the check in at the Fort Lauderdale International Airport to the pilot's that made the flight daily to the people that lived on the island. I watched a recent video that showed some new investors in the island. Keeping my fingers crossed that it can return to it's glory days.
Nice video, Nicholas! .I have my dreams, one that includes owning and operating my own aircraft. And what you said about helping others achieve their dreams, it is very touching. I hope you achieve your dreams, including this beautiful island.
I landed at Walkers Cay in 1988 and stayed at the hotel for 2 days. It`s was a wonderful place to be.I used an Piper Archer. Regards, Jan Starheim - Norway.
What an adventure. I'm jealous! Also, 2,800 feet is a bit short for a piston twin. That guy is pretty skilled to operate an Aztec out of a strip that size. It certainly doesn't leave much room for error!
Friendly Skies Film The limitation for twins doesn't really come from the landing distance, but from the accelerate stop distance. In our Baron on a hot day at 30 or 35 degrees C, it requires about 3000 to 3500 feet to accelerate to Vr, have an engine failure, and stop. Coming off of a 2,800 foot runway, you'd run off the end. Something to think about!
Friendly Skies Film The limitation for twins doesn't really come from the landing distance, but from the accelerate stop distance. In our Baron on a hot day at 30 or 35 degrees C, it requires about 3000 to 3500 feet to accelerate to Vr, have an engine failure, and stop. Coming off of a 2,800 foot runway, you'd run off the end. Something to think about!
I've been watching a lot of aviation videos lately and after finding your I've discovered a lot of them aren't as easy to follow as yours, keep up the good work!
Friendly Skies Film is there a flight school in central Texas that you would recommend? I plan on starting the process of getting my private lisence when I get back to the states.
Friendly Skies Film I think I did take one or photo photos. I'm intrigued to find these now... if I can locate them, I will scan them and send it to you
Friendly Skies Film I found them! I forgot how blurry cheap film cameras were then. Will scan and email soon. Chalks Ocean Airways was still around then, and I got a shot of them arriving.
Ok so where's the island walk around, or exploration. You got me all pumped up and then it ends when you land. So who were the other folks, any abandoned homes, buildings, slips, boats AHHHH!!!! Seriously you gotta make a part 2! Thanks for the intro though it was a pretty good start. I'm reserving my thumbs up for the rest. He HE HE. Best Wishes n Blessings. Keith
Argh, where's the video of the island?! Seeing the destination is a big part of it! Great video, I'm going to some of the outer islands in two weeks and I can't wait :D
Next time you're out island spotting, take binoculars! I really think they should be standard equipment in GA planes anyway, especially VFR only flights.
Hey my friend, I can't be the only one that heard about a 172 crashing today very close to you without worrying myself like a concerned mother. Hope you are okay! The crash didn't end well for at least one passenger. It will certainly be a relief to hear that you and your crew is okay!
Yep, was just reading about it on Kathryn's Report. Thanks so much for thinking about us. The plane came from Waterbury Oxford CT, which we visit with some frequency. Looking forward to hearing what happened.
Man we used to go fishing there back in the mid 90's great fishing and fun nights, Grand key just east of you has a bar called rosies great place back in the day.
About the annotations, I really don't understand as to why they took it away. I mean it is annoying when someone spams them in the video, but I just wanted back as it would allow for actual content creator to be able to interact with their audience better than with the "i" cards...
Just use a card for your linked video. Works great, just remember to point to your upper left when you're plugging it within your video. The best part is we can watch this video to the end and access the card at that time.
You can't link to a specific time in or out of video, you can only have so many, and end screens can only be placed in the last 20 seconds. Just so much less versatile. We used to be able to do things like "choose your own story" videos, constructed completely from annotations.
Friendly Skies Film - Likely depreciated with the ongoing quest of content sanitization. We just make do with what the overlords give us, I guess. Thanks for sharing your stories.
I hate them damn boxes to click on. That shit was so annoying I whould unsubscribe and stop watching videos. Popups are just wrong and good for UA-cam to put a stop to that BS.
That's really interesting to hear. I have time in about 16 completely different planes, with all but one of those having been built before 1986, and all had shoulder harnesses, with the exception of my 1946 Ercoupe, which I installed them in after purchasing it.
Flying and boating in and out of there for years, a truly magical place in it's day. Curious as to how you cleared Bahamas Customs as it appeared Walkers was your first stop approaching from the West. That sunken tug sure was interesting, never knew that was there.
Arrived at Freeport in the previous video. Do you think it's correct to assume the tug was associated with Walker's? It's so close, and was clearly moored there.
Hard to tell, the Bahamians do things a little differently there. Your aerial shots of the island show a much cleaner landscape since the last time I flew over, so perhaps the tug was used to tow a barge hauling debris.
This is cool to combine inspiration with flying . Maybe you can share more about how you made your dreams come true and how you plan on buying the island. So many people want to fly but cannot because of money. I was quite poor years ago. My desire to fly helped me figure out how to make more money and now I am flying . And also living in a nice house !
I flew out there with my dad to go fishing in 1986. That building at the very end of the video was the customs office. There was a restaurant, hotel, and bar. Other than that, just the workers’ homes. I remember going for a run in the rain, it was hot. Would have been nice to see what’s left.
Leaving us in suspense!! Lol. Looking forward to the exploration vid.👍 ps, if you buy... sorry, WHEN you buy, will you be sending house warming party tickets to all subscribers!?!?!? Lol
It is the same as all the pilot controlled airports 122.8, another thing you will discover in most of the charts are wrong and haven't been updated for sometime.
I made 2 trips out to Walker's Cay to scuba dive before they abandoned it. I think my last trip was in 2005 or so. Great diving (Shark Rodeo) and fishing around that island. Too bad what became of it. There was also a shark research station located there, separate from the resort.
I have a VHS of the shark dive, but really nothing topside. It was a nice resort at the time. Some history there, too, with Nixon and Rebozo hanging out there fishing during his presidency.
Yeah, there's a good account in a book I found by two secret service agents that were charged with setting up the communications network there whenever he visited.
Way to end on a cliff hanger! So many questions. Were there other people on island when you landed? Who's plane was that? (Don't answer. Looking forward to the follow up video)
I have pics of that tug before thieves sank it. She was called the Ocean King built for the US Army in 1945. She was damaged but floating in a hurricane. I was down there to see if I could repair the damage to her plus repair the Jim Gibson to move her to Grand Cay next door. The other "mast" you see in the water is a drilling rig also sunk in the hurricane
I don't think you'll have any trouble growing your channel since you have good content, movie making skills, and are being yourself speaking your mind. Good stuff
The Parable of the Old Man, The Boy, and The Donkey There was an old man, a boy and a donkey. They were going to town and the boy was riding the donkey, with the old man walking alongside. As they rambled along, they passed some old women sitting in the shade. One of the women called out, ''Shame on you, a great lump of a boy, riding while your old father is walking." The man and boy decided that maybe the critics were right so they changed positions. Later they ambled by a group of mothers watching their young children play by the river. One cried out in protest, "How could you make your little boy walk in the hot sun while you ride!" The two travelers decided that maybe they both should walk. Next they met some young men out for a stroll. "How stupid you are to walk when you have a perfectly good donkey to ride!" one yelled derisively. So both father and son clambered onto the donkey, deciding they both should ride. They were soon settled and underway again. They next encountered some children who were on their way home from school. One girl shouted, "How mean to put such a load on a poor little animal." The old man and the boy saw no alternative. Maybe the critics were right. They now struggled to carry the donkey. As they crossed a bridge, they lost their grip on the confused animal and he fell to his death in the river. And the moral, of course, is that if you try to please everyone you will never know what to do, it will be hard to get anywhere, you will please no-one, not even yourself, and you will probably lose everything.
I hope you guys enjoyed the next installment of my Bahamas adventure! If enough people want to see the island, I'll do a video on that too. I just didn't want to post something so different on the channel without prior approval ;)
Awesome video! So inspiring! You really deliver a message of hope... Remember your video and message is reaching all over the world and here in South Africa, touched me. Thanks for the message to me on Facebook. I was happy when they phoned me! Awesome!
Aw, I'm glad that it meant something to you. :) Believe it or not, people send me hate mail, saying that I'm a d-bag for inspiring people. I kid you not.
How was the runway condition? I've been wanting to fly over to Walker's for a while now, but been a little hesitant to take my club's archer over there without knowing if the runway's still in good condition and not being able to find any info on it or anyone that's been there recently. This is the most recent video I've seen of walker's, I think the only other recent one was like two years ago.
Not bad. Pretty similar to some older strips you find around my area, but you guys might have higher standards in the sunshine state. I would say that I feel totally comfortable landing my Warrior there sometime soon. Maybe I'll see you there ;)
I take my personal Cherokee into some pretty bumpy paved and unpaved strips out in Oregon with some 8.50x10 tires on it, but this club Archer is the pretty plane of the club with wheel pants and all. Just wanted to make sure there weren't any big potholes or anything, thanks!
Being a pilot and an avid viewer of your videos (and other aviation videos) and in my off time I do watch those urban explorer videos here on UA-cam send us a video of you exploring this island.
What was your flight plan filing like? Did you file a defense dept VFR for leaving and coming back to the US through the ADIZ? Did you have required life preservers etc.? What about customs and immigration on each end? Bahamas require that you first land at a customs immigration airport of entry - (you did that right?) Why did you leave all that kind of stuff out?
Walker's Cay must not have been a very profitable resort if it was just abandoned after the hurricanes. It actually looks pretty good from the air, not nuked or anything.
Interested to see where you go with this one. Who were the other people on the island and the aircraft owners? Who actually gave you clearance to land, was it the land owner and how does property law come into permission to land? Does the FAA simply grant authority to land? If we donate on Patreon can we get shares in the island and free holiday stays?
Haha definite yes on that last one ;) Well, since it's in the Bahamas, the FAA certainly has nothing to do with it. It's a public use airport, so anyone can land there, but the island was technically foreclosed (more like defaulted) upon and now belongs to the Bahamas government, who granted us explicit permission via their flight service station.
“If your dreams don’t scare you, they’re not big enough”.
Totally agree.
Thank you for your nice videos!
Make a video of you exploring the abandoned resort
Mayyyyybeeee ;)
I was hoping for more ground video too!
Yup...I'm waiting.
Yeah, I wanted to see that, and then it cuts :(
pretty please ;)
Your speech about achieving your dreams and working for it. Has helped me, I was kinda putting off my private pilot test prep book, but your speech was, inspirational. Thank you.
Aw, glad I could do that for you. I like to think that all you need is to know that it's possible, and then anyone can do it :)
Squshyturtle 115 I agree! Very nice speech, Nick. This video had a nice flavor to it. The scenery is just awesome...GoFundMe page for Nick's island??
Haha it would have to start at $150M! XD
If you don't know where you are going how will you get there?
Jeremy Smith Easy - make the journey the destination!
The video ended right when it looked like it might become worth watching. Baffling, utterly baffling.
That's exactly what I thought. 10 minutes of babbling and then eventually the landing without any further images of the island. Disappointing.
Gospel of Christ of all places to leave a comment why here
I am glad to have tumbled onto this video by accident. I was there in june of 1982. Four of us flew to Walkers Cay in a cessna 172 with a guy working on building up his flight hours. The customs was open back then and we enjoyed an awesome day of snorkling and hanging out on the pristine beach. Bumpy runway as I recall.
So lucky! I'd love to see any pictures you might have from back then.
Dangit! You can't end the video there! Didn't you guys go exploring?
Chris Muncy if you watch the video past the ending theme, they do. Kinda.
If enough of you want me to, I will :)
Yeah, kinda. I WANTED MOOOOOOOOORRRREEEEEEE! :-)
Yes please :-)
I agree!
I knew someone who went to Walker's Cay back in 2014 and after his plane's battery died, he almost died of starvation and dehydration before being rescued. Needless to say, the trip was not planned out very well. Good learning experience for everyone else though.
Seriously??? Wow. That's a hell of a story. It was so freaking busy while we were there, and one of the planes had a dead battery! Weird, because I haven't seen a pilot with a dead battery anywhere on mainland...... perhaps.... the Bermuda Triangle.
Friendly Skies Film The battery died because he drained it completely trying but failing to start the engine. Something was wrong with the starter. The only supplies they had were a couple days of food, alcohol, and a couple of flares, which they later used to start a camp fire. Again, their Aeronautical Decision Making in this scenario was next to none, but their mistakes will hopefully help others, and nobody died, so in the end it's all good.
Wow, that's kind of stuff people write books about, though. There are a couple boats on the island, and the next island over can't be more than a couple miles. I would have went for it, but who knows, maybe I wouldn't have made it.
I'm guessing they didn't have a newer 406Mhz ELT installed and no backup PLB.
Southwest 737 so the plane in the video is the same plane that guy almost died?
"You can have everything in life you want, if you will just help enough other people get what they want."
Thank you for this Jeremy :)
I too was hoping to see the Island (and the 3 - 4 buildings it looked like it had, from the air). Hurray, nice landing Jeremy, and the runway looked clear of debris and safe enough to land on! I Like your enthusiasm Nick, reminds me of when I graduated college a few years back, nervous about the future but full of dreams! Thumbs Up Men!
You wish is my command in the next installment. I was worried about doing it in one episode because, believe it or not, I've been yelled at for including music, when "this is a flying channel, not a music channel," so I figured I'd ask. Ironically, I seem to have upset people more by NOT including it!! Ugh, the internet is an enigma... Thanks so much for the support, and for you other comment calling for donations. They really make it worth all the stress. I think it's about 20% editing, 30% setting up the cameras, and 50% putting up with all the nastiness the internet has to offer. Thanks so much for appreciating my work :) As the channel grows, the number of people I can make happy all at the same time decreases, so it's always good to know that I've made someone's day, and they've made mine in return.
Very calm response upon finding someone else is on the island. Myself, I would have said ,"Son of a......"
"Ooh, there's a plane. We're not alone!! **Hops out to find some smugglers splitting their load. Runs *back* to plane and does NOT bother with pre-flight checklist**
Walker's kay, back in its day was booming. I had flown charters at 600. A head, under a 135. Probably the most interesting air strip I ever landed on. You could see planes sunk around the island. It's hard to believe it's vacant now.
This brought back SO many memories of this place. I was first introduced to Walker's by my late but great friend George Thomas, who had me fly out on a Walker International's Twin Otter to repair his Carolina built (Sunny Briggs) day boat "Shotgun" (originally owned by Peter Pulitzer) while he was there fishing. It was the first of many visits, some on a boat and others on aircraft. Once I came in aboard a 'fat' Beech Baron with an attorney who had his boat there to repair his genset and it had just rained. Nearly didn't stop in time (phew). I was on and off in less than an hour because all that was wrong with the genset was a loose ground wire. The coral heads SE of the island were INCREDIBLE. Another thing was going to Rosie's Place on Grand Cay. These cats ran that boat full speed AT NIGHT between the two islands, but you didn't care coming back because you were usually hammered :p
I hope Carl Allen keeps it the kind of place I remember.
I visited Walker's in maybe January of 1987, on a boat, for a day. I spent it hanging out in the pool - there was a waterfall feature where you could get behind it and just chill in a little water fort. At the time it was a bustling island, full of people.
Awesome video! Thanks for the shoutout 👍haha the Bahamas are an awesome place to explore! Looking forward to going back up again
Thanks for the flight, bud! Looking forward to meeting up again and exploring too.
Definitely an Aztec. Can't wait to see the abandoned resort video!!!
I flew to Walkers Cay in 1999, we had to check in at customs, went on a shark dive and flew to Freeport that night. Great trip and plenty of folks on the island back then .
Would have loved to see it back then.
Great job on this video..sweet plane to...very cool..Thank you so much for your videos too I do greatly appreciate it too..
Glad you enjoy :)
Friendly Skies Film Your welcome..and your videos are Awesome..you done a great job
Friendly Skies Film your welcome
We were at Walker's many times for the "Bertram-Hatteras Shootouts," which you show in 2-3 still photos of the competing boats parading in and out of Walker's harbor. We fished all of the major tournaments in the Bahamas aboard our new '46 Bertram, the Kirsten Ann, and Walker's was the nicest destination at the time.
To be honest I was looking forward to you landing on the island and exploring the island more than the flight getting there !
Then you'll enjoy the next video when I expire it even more :)
Chalks used to fly there. I stopped there a couple times by sailboat too. There used to be a tv sport fishing show called the Walker Cay Chronicles. There was an operation at the end of the runway to capture and breed fish for aquariums. Cool place back in the day.
The island was owned by Robert Abplanalp. He was a good friend of my grandfather's. On March 29, 1975 my grandfather was taking off in his plane from the airstrip there and crashed
Fascinating. Thanks for sharing. It's such a small world. If there's more to the story, or any other thoughts from your grandfather that you would like to share, feel free to email me. Friendlyskiesfilm@gmail.com
Yes, video of the destination would be welcomed. Nicely done. Bravo!
Darn it guys, you make me feel that my life is so boring and grey :-). Joking aside, as always, great video. Interesting conversation and for my untrained eye, great flying! Thanks!
I totally feel you on the grey part. It's another cold, rainy day in Massachusetts today...
Thanks for this video, I spent a few days there in the 80s scuba Diving and all. My friend actually worked there for a while.
No kidding! If you any photos, I'd love to see them.
I went to Walker's Cay before the Hurricane that destroyed the island and it was lush and beautiful. The hotel was as good as any Holiday Inn. We flew in via Chalk's Airline which was a De Havilland Seaplane. Our reason for going there was that they had a Shark"Rodeo" as they called it. The people were wonderful. Funny, I never once heard it called Walker's "Key" as the narrator pronounced it. Not one person from the check in at the Fort Lauderdale International Airport to the pilot's that made the flight daily to the people that lived on the island. I watched a recent video that showed some new investors in the island. Keeping my fingers crossed that it can return to it's glory days.
Nice vid! Those islands really are a hidden treasure. Hoping to head over to Walkers at some point.
It was really amazing. Good luck getting over there :)
Very cool video.... something you do not see everyday!
Wow, I stumbled across this as it came up in recommended videos. I visited this island when it was a resort back in 1996. Flew in a C172 also!
No kidding. I'd love to see any pictures you might have!
Enjoyed the video. subscribed! keep them coming
Cant wait to explore all these islands in my backyard.
Always nice seeing an engineer with a passion for flying, i bet those plans are epic!
Nice landing :)
;)
Nice video, Nicholas! .I have my dreams, one that includes owning and operating my own aircraft. And what you said about helping others achieve their dreams, it is very touching. I hope you achieve your dreams, including this beautiful island.
Aw, thanks, bud. Same to you :)
I landed at Walkers Cay in 1988 and stayed at the hotel for 2 days. It`s was a wonderful place to be.I used an Piper Archer. Regards, Jan Starheim - Norway.
What an adventure. I'm jealous!
Also, 2,800 feet is a bit short for a piston twin. That guy is pretty skilled to operate an Aztec out of a strip that size. It certainly doesn't leave much room for error!
It's pretty heavily sloped, so that helps, but there are also no obstacles. I can't speak for the Aztec, but it felt super long in the 172.
Friendly Skies Film The limitation for twins doesn't really come from the landing distance, but from the accelerate stop distance. In our Baron on a hot day at 30 or 35 degrees C, it requires about 3000 to 3500 feet to accelerate to Vr, have an engine failure, and stop. Coming off of a 2,800 foot runway, you'd run off the end. Something to think about!
Friendly Skies Film The limitation for twins doesn't really come from the landing distance, but from the accelerate stop distance. In our Baron on a hot day at 30 or 35 degrees C, it requires about 3000 to 3500 feet to accelerate to Vr, have an engine failure, and stop. Coming off of a 2,800 foot runway, you'd run off the end. Something to think about!
I've been watching a lot of aviation videos lately and after finding your I've discovered a lot of them aren't as easy to follow as yours, keep up the good work!
Yay! :)
Friendly Skies Film is there a flight school in central Texas that you would recommend? I plan on starting the process of getting my private lisence when I get back to the states.
This was awesome! I flew in there in the late 90's, when it was still open. I hope it does get a renovation and reopens.
Do you mind if I ask, do you have any pictures? I've become obsessed with its history, while I try to determine its future.
Friendly Skies Film I think I did take one or photo photos. I'm intrigued to find these now... if I can locate them, I will scan them and send it to you
That would be great! You know my email! friendlyskiesfilm@gmail.com
Friendly Skies Film I found them! I forgot how blurry cheap film cameras were then. Will scan and email soon. Chalks Ocean Airways was still around then, and I got a shot of them arriving.
Add the pics to the vid you make of exploring the island! Really want to see, how it was before, and how it is now
Ok so where's the island walk around, or exploration. You got me all pumped up and then it ends when you land. So who were the other folks, any abandoned homes, buildings, slips, boats AHHHH!!!! Seriously you gotta make a part 2! Thanks for the intro though it was a pretty good start. I'm reserving my thumbs up for the rest. He HE HE. Best Wishes n Blessings. Keith
I promise, it will come soon enough :)
Argh, where's the video of the island?! Seeing the destination is a big part of it! Great video, I'm going to some of the outer islands in two weeks and I can't wait :D
Have fun!! It's amazing! :)
When you move to Florida, you should fly to SFB. It's like a commercial/GA airport hybrid
Noted :)
You can not just stop there and let us hang there with curiosity. Hopefully there is a part 2
can u do like a vlog of the island
Mayyybeee
Deleted you other comment for language.
That's pathetic
Friendly Skies Film is that dictatorship?
Hopefully the Molten Salt Reactor is ready for prime time when or if you buy the island. It would be a great fit for that application.
We're thinking a combination of OTEC and solar right now. What is this you speak of? :)
Next time you're out island spotting, take binoculars! I really think they should be standard equipment in GA planes anyway, especially VFR only flights.
hm. Good idea. I keep them on my boat, so why not the plane when you're over water.
Hey my friend, I can't be the only one that heard about a 172 crashing today very close to you without worrying myself like a concerned mother. Hope you are okay! The crash didn't end well for at least one passenger. It will certainly be a relief to hear that you and your crew is okay!
Yep, was just reading about it on Kathryn's Report. Thanks so much for thinking about us. The plane came from Waterbury Oxford CT, which we visit with some frequency. Looking forward to hearing what happened.
Love flying. Achieved my dream at 25. Then I had kids! God I miss it.
Yeah, I hear that story a lot :-/
Man we used to go fishing there back in the mid 90's great fishing and fun nights, Grand key just east of you has a bar called rosies great place back in the day.
If you have any pictures, I would love to see them! :)
About the annotations, I really don't understand as to why they took it away. I mean it is annoying when someone spams them in the video, but I just wanted back as it would allow for actual content creator to be able to interact with their audience better than with the "i" cards...
perhaps because they didn't look very nice aesthetically... I liked them too
Hmm is it a Bohemian or a Bahamian Paradise? Both? LOL Perhaps you can give us a tour of the island once you buy it!!
That's the dream :)
I would have liked to see a walking tour of the island. I'm into islands like that, pretty cool. Thanks for the video.
Lucky guy , cant wait to get over some water myself- greetings from colorado!
Just use a card for your linked video. Works great, just remember to point to your upper left when you're plugging it within your video. The best part is we can watch this video to the end and access the card at that time.
You can't link to a specific time in or out of video, you can only have so many, and end screens can only be placed in the last 20 seconds. Just so much less versatile. We used to be able to do things like "choose your own story" videos, constructed completely from annotations.
Friendly Skies Film - Likely depreciated with the ongoing quest of content sanitization. We just make do with what the overlords give us, I guess. Thanks for sharing your stories.
Haha well said.
UA-cam once told me that it was not mobile-friendly and thus got sacked
I hate them damn boxes to click on. That shit was so annoying I whould unsubscribe and stop watching videos. Popups are just wrong and good for UA-cam to put a stop to that BS.
That's really interesting to hear. I have time in about 16 completely different planes, with all but one of those having been built before 1986, and all had shoulder harnesses, with the exception of my 1946 Ercoupe, which I installed them in after purchasing it.
Flying and boating in and out of there for years, a truly magical place in it's day. Curious as to how you cleared Bahamas Customs as it appeared Walkers was your first stop approaching from the West.
That sunken tug sure was interesting, never knew that was there.
Arrived at Freeport in the previous video. Do you think it's correct to assume the tug was associated with Walker's? It's so close, and was clearly moored there.
Hard to tell, the Bahamians do things a little differently there. Your aerial shots of the island show a much cleaner landscape since the last time I flew over, so perhaps the tug was used to tow a barge hauling debris.
This is cool to combine inspiration with flying . Maybe you can share more about how you made your dreams come true and how you plan on buying the island. So many people want to fly but cannot because of money. I was quite poor years ago. My desire to fly helped me figure out how to make more money and now I am flying . And also living in a nice house !
Congratulations!! Desire like that can be such a great motivator. That's really a great story :)
Nice landing!
Thanks :-) When I was training I never thought I would ever get it.
I flew in on a chalks mallard in 1999. The flight out we did a sea takeoff. It was excellent. Lookout for the sharks and rays. They are huge.
Very cool. I have some pictures of those planes people have been sending me.
We want a tour of the island!
And you shall have it soon ;)
Who's filming from the wing, your wingman!!!! thank you I'll be here all week.:)
;)
I flew out there with my dad to go fishing in 1986. That building at the very end of the video was the customs office. There was a restaurant, hotel, and bar. Other than that, just the workers’ homes. I remember going for a run in the rain, it was hot. Would have been nice to see what’s left.
Thanks for the video good luck with your dream
Thank you good, sir! Glad you enjoyed.
Leaving us in suspense!! Lol. Looking forward to the exploration vid.👍 ps, if you buy... sorry, WHEN you buy, will you be sending house warming party tickets to all subscribers!?!?!? Lol
Of course ;)
WOW... no one rebuilt the resort after the 2005 hurricanes...!! Great fishing around that island..!!
I read somewhere that in 2000, 80% of all fishing records were broken there. Crazy stuff out there waiting to be caught.
Yep... it is a large area with lots of small islands and deep holes
did i hear you announce yourself on the radio? if yes how do you know radio freq. to use? thanks
I was curious if the cay had a published CTAF too.
It is the same as all the pilot controlled airports 122.8, another thing you will discover in most of the charts are wrong and haven't been updated for sometime.
I had the same thought. No comms. Sounds kind of rogue to me. Long landing as well with a 172 and flaps. Then again, better longer than too short.
Us? We announced the whole way down. Listen closely.
Friendly Skies Film That was nice I like the view of the ocean and the inside view of the cockpit
So, where's the rest of video? After you landed & got out what next?
It's coming, I swear! XD
Use to go there as a child. It was some of my best memories. There use to be a parrot that curse a lot.
I LOVE how you criticize every landing, even though they are better than 90% of my landings!
I made 2 trips out to Walker's Cay to scuba dive before they abandoned it. I think my last trip was in 2005 or so. Great diving (Shark Rodeo) and fishing around that island. Too bad what became of it. There was also a shark research station located there, separate from the resort.
Neat! If you have any pictures, I'd love to see them.
I have a VHS of the shark dive, but really nothing topside. It was a nice resort at the time. Some history there, too, with Nixon and Rebozo hanging out there fishing during his presidency.
Yeah, there's a good account in a book I found by two secret service agents that were charged with setting up the communications network there whenever he visited.
DUDE. We have the same red Hawaiian shirt! You also get yours at Kohls? Oh and I love your channel lol. Private islands are the best.
Yuuuup!!! XD
Way to end on a cliff hanger! So many questions. Were there other people on island when you landed? Who's plane was that? (Don't answer. Looking forward to the follow up video)
Not answering :)
I am a new subscriber i watched some videos and they are amazing
Thanks, mate :)
I have pics of that tug before thieves sank it. She was called the Ocean King built for the US Army in 1945. She was damaged but floating in a hurricane. I was down there to see if I could repair the damage to her plus repair the Jim Gibson to move her to Grand Cay next door. The other "mast" you see in the water is a drilling rig also sunk in the hurricane
Great video!
part 1 was great looking fwd to part 2
Simply love this channel.
:)
I don't think you'll have any trouble growing your channel since you have good content, movie making skills, and are being yourself speaking your mind. Good stuff
I try. There's always haters, but I try. Thanks for the support from the good side of UA-cam :)
Ever heard the story of the little boy the old man and the donkey?
Jeremy Smith what is the story
The Parable of the Old Man, The Boy, and The Donkey
There was an old man, a boy and a donkey. They were going to town and the boy was riding the donkey, with the old man walking alongside.
As they rambled along, they passed some old women sitting in the shade. One of the women called out, ''Shame on you, a great lump of a boy, riding while your old father is walking."
The man and boy decided that maybe the critics were right so they changed positions.
Later they ambled by a group of mothers watching their young children play by the river. One cried out in protest, "How could you make your little boy walk in the hot sun while you ride!"
The two travelers decided that maybe they both should walk.
Next they met some young men out for a stroll.
"How stupid you are to walk when you have a perfectly good donkey to ride!" one yelled derisively.
So both father and son clambered onto the donkey, deciding they both should ride.
They were soon settled and underway again. They next encountered some children who were on their way home from school.
One girl shouted, "How mean to put such a load on a poor little animal."
The old man and the boy saw no alternative. Maybe the critics were right. They now struggled to carry the donkey.
As they crossed a bridge, they lost their grip on the confused animal and he fell to his death in the river.
And the moral, of course, is that if you try to please everyone you will never know what to do, it will be hard to get anywhere, you will please no-one, not even yourself, and you will probably lose everything.
I really needed that tonight. Thanks or your endless wisdom, friend.
I hope you guys enjoyed the next installment of my Bahamas adventure! If enough people want to see the island, I'll do a video on that too. I just didn't want to post something so different on the channel without prior approval ;)
Friendly Skies Film Yes please! :-)
Friendly Skies Film ,That would be awesome. Thanks Nick.
Friendly Skies Film that would be amazing
Friendly Skies Film yes let's see the island. Did you see the other people there? And is it still totally abandoned?
Do it.
Awesome video! So inspiring! You really deliver a message of hope... Remember your video and message is reaching all over the world and here in South Africa, touched me. Thanks for the message to me on Facebook. I was happy when they phoned me! Awesome!
Aw, I'm glad that it meant something to you. :) Believe it or not, people send me hate mail, saying that I'm a d-bag for inspiring people. I kid you not.
How was the runway condition?
I've been wanting to fly over to Walker's for a while now, but been a little hesitant to take my club's archer over there without knowing if the runway's still in good condition and not being able to find any info on it or anyone that's been there recently. This is the most recent video I've seen of walker's, I think the only other recent one was like two years ago.
Not bad. Pretty similar to some older strips you find around my area, but you guys might have higher standards in the sunshine state. I would say that I feel totally comfortable landing my Warrior there sometime soon. Maybe I'll see you there ;)
I take my personal Cherokee into some pretty bumpy paved and unpaved strips out in Oregon with some 8.50x10 tires on it, but this club Archer is the pretty plane of the club with wheel pants and all. Just wanted to make sure there weren't any big potholes or anything, thanks!
Yeah, my Warrior is much the same. I would feel totally fine doing it. I can send you some pictures if you want. Just email me if you're interested.
What happen to your old into? And also nice video as usual:)
I still use it when it fits.
Cool airplane ✈️ trip & story
Planning on flying around the islands for the first time this coming winter..weres this island located? Thanks.
MYAW on the sectionals. As far northwest in the Bahamas as you can go without being in the US. Have fun!
Robert J Google pulled it right up.
Being a pilot and an avid viewer of your videos (and other aviation videos) and in my off time I do watch those urban explorer videos here on UA-cam send us a video of you exploring this island.
Perhaps ;)
Nice. How about the other plane parking?
Hi!! , nice shot of you guys flying to the island but the titles has "abandoned Resort ". so please show us the abandoned Resort. Thank you.
Did you see any evidence of the S.S. Minnow?
truly a paradise island!
It was honestly way better than I thought it was going to be :)
Who did Jeremy call to get permission to go to the island? Was hard to hear you at times. Tx
nice flying sir
I would've liked to have seen the island itself, I really enjoy people exploring places.
Me too ;) Perhaps.
In the mid 70’s my parents took a vacation to Walker’s Cay with friends in their BE 55 Baron. N377W.
What was your flight plan filing like? Did you file a defense dept VFR for leaving and coming back to the US through the ADIZ? Did you have required life preservers etc.? What about customs and immigration on each end? Bahamas require that you first land at a customs immigration airport of entry - (you did that right?) Why did you leave all that kind of stuff out?
Walker's Cay must not have been a very profitable resort if it was just abandoned after the hurricanes. It actually looks pretty good from the air, not nuked or anything.
It wasn't super profitable, but the return on investment was low. The biggest issue was that it wasn't built for the weather at all.
How anbaout a video about what's still on the island? What's in the buildings etc.
Oh you know it's coming ;)
Got room for one more? Lol
I found a detailed and accurate project on the Avasva website.
Would you mind sharing a link?
@@FriendlySkiesFilm Do you have it?
"We don't take kindly to strangers in these here parts"!
Interested to see where you go with this one. Who were the other people on the island and the aircraft owners? Who actually gave you clearance to land, was it the land owner and how does property law come into permission to land? Does the FAA simply grant authority to land? If we donate on Patreon can we get shares in the island and free holiday stays?
Haha definite yes on that last one ;) Well, since it's in the Bahamas, the FAA certainly has nothing to do with it. It's a public use airport, so anyone can land there, but the island was technically foreclosed (more like defaulted) upon and now belongs to the Bahamas government, who granted us explicit permission via their flight service station.
when did walkers get abanded? i use to fly guys in there for fishing tournaments in the 80's always a bad crosswind.
2004ish. If you have any photos, I would love to see :)
Great, guy. Now let us breathe. You take a breath too...
Definitely beautiful and definitely dangerous during a hurricane.